Pilfer-proof merchandise card holding device

ABSTRACT

A pilfer-proof merchandise card holding device is disclosed which supports the cards by an opening formed thereon for that purpose. The device provides for preventing the removal of the cards until the merchandise is sold. In one embodiment of the device an elongated tubular hanger for the cards is provided with a retaining post on the outer end thereof. A spring loaded actuating rod extending from the rear of the hanger maintains the retaining post in a vertical position to prevent the removal of the cards. When the actuating rod is depressed the post is adapted to be pivoted to a position aligned with the hanger to enable the removal of the cards. The device is provided with a locking mechanism which prevents the actuating rod from being depressed until unlocked by a sales clerk. In another embodiment of the device a plurality of spaced vertical posts extend upwardly through a slot provided along the upper wall of the tubular hanger. A card is supported between each of the posts. The posts rest on a shelf within the hanger and are attached to a chain. When the actuating rod is depressed, the chain is adapted to be advanced causing the posts to be moved along the slot toward the front end of the hanger so that the forwardmost post is carried by the chain down into the hanger. The card that was being retained by that post can thus be removed from the hanger. The actuating rod is arranged to be depressed by the action of a lever which operates as a result of the insertion of a coin in a coin machine.

Canning 1 Jan. 15,1974

1 1 PlLFER-PROOF MERCHANDISE CARD HOLDING DEVICE lnventor: Glenn R.Canning, 8318 Elmont St.,

Pico Rivera, Calif.

Mar. 31, 1972 Filed:

Appl. No.: 240,131

Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant ExaminerThomas E. KocovskyAtt0rney-Vernon D. Beehler et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT A pilfer-proof merchandise card holding device isdisclosed which supports the cards by an opening formed thereon for thatpurpose. The device provides for preventing the removal of the cardsuntil the merchandise is sold.

In one embodiment of the device an elongated tubular hanger for thecards is provided with a retaining post on the outer end thereof. Aspring loaded actuating rod extending from the rear of the hangermaintains the retaining post in a vertical position to prevent theremoval of the cards. When the actuating rod is depressed the post isadapted to be pivoted to a position aligned with the hanger to enablethe removal of the cards. The device is provided with a lockingmechanism which prevents the actuating rod from being depressed untilunlocked by a sales clerk.

In another embodiment of the device a plurality of spaced vertical postsextend upwardly through a slot provided along the upper wall of thetubular hanger. A card is supported between each of the posts. The postsrest on a shelf within the hanger and are attached to a chain. When theactuating rod is depressed, the chain is adapted to be advanced causingthe posts to be moved along the slot toward the front end of the hangerso that the forwardmost post is carried by the chain down into thehanger. The card that was being retained by that post can thus beremoved from the hanger. The actuating rod is arranged to be depressedby the action of a lever which operates as a result of the insertion ofa coin in a coin machine.

4 Claims, 24 Drawing Figures a i 67- 7 5 E Q 2; /0 a 5 1 hangeDisplaying merchandise in this manner is very desirable since it enablesthe customer to view the merchandise and select the ones which he isinterested in purchasing without taking up the time of the sales clerk.However, when the merchandise is displayed in this fashion, pilfering ofthe merchandise cards is quite common. Therefore, there is a need for amerchandise card holder which provides for securing the card on theholder until the merchandise is ready to be sold.

In one embodiment of the card holding device of the present invention,an elongated tubular hanger for the merchandise card is provided with aretaining post on the outer end thereof. The retaining post extendsthrough a slot on the outer end of the tubular hanger and its lower endis pivotally attached to the end of an actuating rod which is slidablymovable within the hanger. A rear portion of the actuating rod extendingbeyond the back of the hanger is provided with a spring which normallyholds the rod withdrawn from the hanger. When the rod is in itswithdrawn position the retaining post on the outer end thereof ismaintained in its vertical position which prevents the cards from beingremoved off the end of the hanger. When the rod is depressed into thehanger against the action of the spring on the rear portion thereof, theretaining post is pivoted downwardly to a position aligned with thesurface of the hanger which permits the cards to be removed from the endof the hanger. A locking mechanism is associated with the card holdingdevice which prevents the actuating rod from being depressed into thehanger until unlocked by the sales clerk.

In another embodiment of the card holding device of the presentinvention the tubular hanger is provided with a slot along the length ofits upper wall and an elongated horizontal shelf is formed within thetubular hanger below the slot. Within the tubular hanger a clutch andsprocket drive is rotatably supported adjacent the inner end of theshelf and a cylindrical guide is supported adjacent the outer end of theshelf. A continuous loop of chain encircles the shelf with one end ofthe loop fitted on the sprocket drive and the other end of the looppositioned about the cylindrical guide. A plurality of spaced retainingposts are attached to the sides of the chain with the posts attached tothe portion of the chain below the shelf resting on their sides on thebottom of the tubular hanger and with the posts attached to the portionof the chain above the shelf resting with their bottoms on the shelfsuch that they extend vertically through the slot on the upper wall ofthe hanger. An actuating rod extending from the rear of the hanger andprovided with a spring for holding it in its withdrawn position isprovided with a rack on the inner end thereof which engages a pinion onthe end of the clutch which drivingly engages the sprocket drive. Thuseach time the actuating rod is depressed against its spring the chain isadvanced in its path about the shelf to permit the forwardmost postresting on the shelf to be drawn by the chain into the tubular hangerbelow the shelf, thus freeing a merchandise card for withdrawal from theend of the hanger. A coin machine is associated with the card holdingdevice which operates to depress the actuating rod and thus free amerchandise card when a coin is inserted in the machine.

Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide apilfer-proof merchandise card holding device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a lockingmechanism for a merchandise card holding device which permits a salesclerk in a store to quickly unlock the holding device to permit it to beactuated for the purpose of removing a card therefrom.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pilfer-proofmerchandise card holding device which permits a single merchandise cardto be released each time the card holding device is actuated.

It is another object of the invention to provide a merchandise cardholding device which is actuated to permit a card to beremoved'therefrom by the use of a coin machine.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide a merchandisecard holding device which is adapted for mounting on a standardpegboard.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparentfrom the following detailed description considered in connection withtheaccompanying drawings.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the components forming afirst embodiment of the merchandise card holding device of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional assembly view of the embodiment shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the card holding device inits unlocked position;

FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view of the card holding device as takenalong line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, partly sectional view showing the locking postbeing rotated to a position generally aligned with the surface of thetubular hanger as a result of the movement of the actuating rod;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view ofa second embodiment of the card holdingdevice of the present invention;

FIG. 8is a vertical'sectional view of the card holding device shown inFIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view as taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view as taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a plan view as taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 8 with portionsof the upper half of the tubular hanger cut away;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view as taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view as taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 14 is a crosssectional view as taken along line 14-14 of FIG. 8; I

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view as taken along line 15-15 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional view of the card holding device similarto FIG. 8 but showing the actuating rod in its depressed poosition inthe tubular hanger;

FIG. 17 is a vertical sectional view of the outer portion of the tubularhanger showing the path of the posts therein;

FIG. 18 is a vertical sectional view of the inner portion of the tubularhanger showing the path of the posts therein;

FIG. 19 is a top view of the intermediate portion of the tubular hangerwith a portion of the top wall thereof cut away;

FIG. 20 is a vertical sectional view of the intermediate portion of thetubular hanger as taken along line 2020 of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is an exploded view of the actuator rod and drive assembly usedfor advancing the chain to enable a card to be withdrawn from the outerend of the tubular hanger;

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the manner ofattaching the posts to the links of the chain;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing a modification of the embodimentof the card holding device shown in FIGS. 1 to 6; and

FIG. 24 is a view ofa merchandise card for utilization on the cardholding device shown in FIG. 23.

A first embodiment of a pilfer-proof merchandise card holding device inaccordance with the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6,inclusive, will first be described. The card holding device there showncomprises a hanger support 11 having an opening 14 therein in which theflared end 13 of an elongated tubular hanger 12 is attached by welding,for example. Hanger support 11 is provided with a pair of spaced lugs onthe upper corners of the back surface thereof which are insertable-inspaced holes 16 of a pegboard 17.

Positioned for sliding movement within tubular hanger 12 is an elongatedactuating rod 20. The rear portion of the rod is provided with a spring23, one end of which contacts a head 21 on the end of the rod 20, andthe other end of which contacts the back surface of the hanger support11 so as to normally hold the rear portion of the rod 20 in'itswithdrawn position relative to the hanger 12.

The hanger 12 has formed on its upper wall, inward from the forward endthereof, a short longitudinal slot 24. Transversely aligned side holes26 are provided on the sides of the hanger 12 below the front end of theslot 24. The forward end of the rod 20 is formed with a slot 28 providedwith transverse holes 29. A card retaining post 30 is provided in theform of a flat vertical stem 31 having an angularly disposed transversestop 32 on the top thereof. The post 30 is positioned with its stem 31in the slot 28 of the rod. A hole 33 is provided in the lower portion ofthe stem 31 of the post 30.

To assemble the post 30 and the rod 20 within the tubular hanger 12, therod 20 is positioned in the tubular hanger 12 with the slot 28 on theforward end thereof aligned with the longitudinal slot 24 on the hanger12. The stem 31 of the retaining post 30 is then inserted into the slot28 of the rod 20 with its hole 33 aligned with the holes 29 in the sidesof the slot 28. With the post 30 and rod 20 so aligned, they can then beaxially moved forwardly within the tubular hanger 12 so that the holes29 line up with the holes 26 provided on the sides of the hanger 12,thus permitting a pin 34 to be inserted into the holes 29 to pivotallyattach the stem 31 of the retaining post 30 within the slot 28 providedon the end of the rod 20. When so assembled the stem 31 extends throughthe slot 24 on the upper wall of the tubular hanger 12 and the bottom ofthe stem 31 contacts the lower, inside surface of the tubular hanger 12.

When the rear portion of the actuation rod 20 is held in its withdrawnposition by the spring 23, the stem 31 of the retaining post iseffectively secured in its vertical position. Merchandise cards 18 beingsupported by their openings 19 on the hanger 12 are thus prevented frombeing removed off the end of the hanger which is provided with a roundedend plug 27. The lower rear corner of the stem 31 is rounded so thatwhen the actuating rod 20 is pushed into the tubular hanger 12 againstthe action of spring 23, the contact of the front side of the stem 31with the wall on the end of slot 24 causes the inclined transverse stop32 on the upper end thereof to be pivoted downwardly. With the stop 32resting on the surface of the tubular hanger in parallel alignment withthe axis thereof, as shown in FIG. 3, the cards 18 of merchandise beingsupported by their openings 19 are able to be removed from or insertedon the outer end of the hanger 12.

A pusher plate 37 is attached on the back of the pegboard 17 by upperand lower U-shaped brackets 39 and 40. The pusher plate 37 is preferablyformed from a rectangular sheet of steel with a pair of ears 41extending inwardly from the upper corners thereof and a pair of ears 42extending inwardly from the lower corners thereof. The closed end of theupper U-shaped bracket 39 is pivotally attached by pins 43 to the upperpair of ears 41 on the pusher plate 37, and the closed end of the lowerU-shaped bracket is pivotally attached by pins 44 to the lower pair ofears 42 on the pusher plate 37. The free ends of the arms 45 of theupper bracket 39 are attached by pins 46 to flat surfaces 47 machined onthe bodies of upper round head screws 48 that extend through holes 16located in the pegboard above the hanger support 11. The free ends ofthe arms 50 of the lower bracket 40 are attached by pins 52 to the flatsurfaces 51 machined on the bodies of lower round head screws 53 thatextend through holes 16 located in the pegboard 17 below the hangersupport 11. The bodies of the lower screws 53 are each provided with ashoulder 54 on the end thereof. Each of the upper screws 48 and lowerscrews 53 is held in position in the pegboard 17 by a washer 57 and nut58. The shoulders 54 on the end of each of the lower screws 53 limit theoutward pivoting movement of the arms 50 of the lower bracket 40 whenthe spring 23 on the end of the actuating rod 20 urges the rod to bemaintained in its withdrawn position with the head 21 of the rodabutting up against the front surface of the pusher plate 37. When inthis position the stem 31 of the retaining post 30 on the end of the rod20 is in its vertical position, as shown in FIG. 2, in which positionthe post 30 prevents the removal of a card 18 from the tubular hanger12.

It should now be clearly understood that in order to remove a card 18from the tubular hanger 12 it is necessary to pivot the post 30 to alignthe transverse stop 32 on the top of the post 30 with the axis of thetubular hanger 12 so as to enable the card 18 to be slid past the post30 and off the end of the hanger 12.

A lock 60 is provided on the pegboard 17 for normally holding the pusherplate 37 in its outward position, in which position the cards 18 beingheld by their opening 19 on the hanger 12 are prevented from beingremoved therefrom. The body of the lock 60 extends through an enlargedopening 61 in the pegboard 17 with the shoulder 62 thereof against thefront surface of the peg board. A nut 63 engages the threaded portion 64of the body of the lock extending through the pegboard 17 and contactsthe back surface of the pegboard. The lock 60 is provided with a centralrotatable shaft 64 having a rectangular cross section on the end thereofwhich fits in a similarly shaped opening 66 on the inner end of a lockarm 67 and is secured by a set screw 68. Upon inserting a key (notshown) in the keyhole 69 of the lock 60, the arm 67 can be swung toextend in front of and adjacent the front surface of the pusher plate 37thus preventing it from being pushed inwardly.

When the key is rotated in the opposite direction the arm 67 is rotatedaway from the front surface of the pusher plate 37 thus permitting it tobe moved forwardly by pivoting about the arms of the brackets 39 and 40so as to advance the actuating rod 20 into the tubular hanger 12, asshown in FIG. 3. When so advanced the stem 31 of the retaining post 30contacts the front end of the slot 24 causing the post 30 to pivot aboutits pin 34 connected to the end of the rod until the transverse stop 32on the post 30 lies substantially flush with the upper surface of thehanger 12, thus permitting one or more of the cards 18 to be removedfrom the end of the hanger 12.

It is thus seen that the embodiment of the present invention shown inFIGS. 1-6 provides for retaining a plurality of merchandise cards 18 ona tubular hanger 12 by' use of a retaining post 30 mounted on the end ofthe hanger. The card holding device is normally in its locked conditionwith the post 30 held in its vertical position so as to prevent thecards 18 from being removed off the end of the hanger 12. By unlockingthe lock 60 of the card holding device 10, the sales clerk can then pushin the pusher plate 37 which causes the actuating rod 20 to advance intothe hanger 12 and the post 30 on the forward end thereof to be pivoteddownwardly so as to align the inclined transverse stop 32 with thehanger 12 thus permitting one or more of the cards 18 to be removedtherefrom.

Upon the sales clerk releasing the pusher plate 37, the actuating arm 20is again moved to its withdrawn position by spring 23 and the retainingpost 30 again swings to its vertical position in which it preventsremoval of the cards 18. Then when the shaft 65 of lock 60 is againrotated by a key so as to again position the locking arm 65 in front ofthe pusher plate 37, the card holding device 10 is again placed in itslocked condition.

The lugs 15 on the hanger plate 11 have a size and spacing toaccommodate spacing of the holes 16 in the pegboard 17. Furthermore, thespring 23 on the rear portion of the rod 20 holds the head 21 of rod 20against the pusher plate 37 and thus serves to retain the hanger support11 on the pegboard 17 after the pusher plate 37 has once been attachedto the back .of the pegboard 17.

As shown in FIG. 2 when the retaining post 30 is positioned in slot 24with the rod 20 held in its withdrawn position by spring 23, the springexerts enough force to prevent the post 30 from being manually depressedand thus pivoted to its aligned position, as shown in FIG. 3. It is onlywhen sufficient pressure is applied against pusher plate 37, after thelocking arm 67 has swung free, that the actuating rod 20 is movablewithin the tubular hanger 12 so as to pivot the post 30 to its alignedposition which permits removal of a merchandise card 18.

A variation of the merchandise card holding device 10 is shown in FIG.23. Here a pair of side rods a and 70b are provided on either side ofthe tubular hanger 12. The ends of the rods 70a and 70b are securelyattached to the hanger support 11a and extend therefrom parallel to thehanger 12. A merchandise card 18a, as shown in FIG. 24, includes a pairof openings 71a and 71b on the sides of the main opening 19a thereof.The card 18a is positioned on the card holding device with its opening19a fitted over the tubular hanger I2 and its side openings fitted overthe respective side rods 70a and 70b. I

A second embodiment of the pilfer-proof card holding device 75 of thepresent invention will next be described. It should be noted that thecross sectional views of the holding device 75, especially as shown inFIGS. 9 and 10, for example, are greatly enlarged. As shown in FIGS. 7and 8 the card holding device 75 includes an elongated tubular hanger 76which extends outwardly from a hanger support 77 being held on apegboard 79. The card holding device 75 differs from the embodimentshown in FIGS. 1-6 in that it provides a plurality of spaced retainingposts 80 along a slot 81 provided on the upper wall of the tubularhanger 76. Each retaining post 80 provides for retaining a merchandisecard 84 on the hanger 76 (FIG. 8). An actuating rod 85 having itsforward position extending into the rear opening of the tubular hanger76 is provided with a spring 86 on the rear portion thereof. As will bedescribed, each time the actuating rod 85 is depressed into the hanger76 against the action of the spring 86, the posts 80 advance forwardlyalong the slot 81 of the tubular hanger 76 in such a manner that theforwardmost post 80 drops down into the interior of the tubular hanger76, thus permitting one of the cards 84 to be removed from the front endof the hanger 76.

As shown in FIG. 7, the card holding device 75 is automatically operatedby a conventional coin machine 88. Upon placing a coin in the opening 89of handle 90 and pushing the handle into the coin box 91, a rod 92 onthe back of the box 91 is released for outward movement to rotate alever 93 about a pivot pin 94 on a fixed support 95a. As shown in FIG.12, the lower arm 96 of the lever is attached by a bolt 97 and nut 98 toa clevis 99 on the end of the actuating rod 85. Thus when the coinmachine 88 is actuated, the rod 85 is depressed into the hanger 76against the action of spring 86.

FIG. 8 shows a vertical cross sectional view of the card holding device75. Tubular hanger 76 is rigidly held by its inner end on thecylindrical portion 87 of hanger support 77. A vertical portion 100 ofsupport 77 is provided with lugs 95 on the upper corners thereof whichfit into spaced holes 78 on pegboard 79. The interior of tubular hanger76, as shown by the cross section in FIG. 10, for example, is providedwith flat opposing vertical side walls 10la and 101b. The slot 81 on thetubular hanger 76 extends along the entire length of the upper wall fromjust forward of the support 77 to the front end thereof. As viewed inFIG. 10, the slot 811 is located to the left of the vertical axis of thehanger 76. A short slot 82 extends along the portion of the bottom wallof hanger 76 in front of hanger support 77 and a short slot 83 extendsalong the portion of the bottom wall on the outer end of the hanger 76.

As best shown in FIG. 16, a horizontal shelf 102 is formed within thetubular hanger 76. The shelf 102 extends from a point spaced inward fromthe support 77 to a point spaced inward from the forward end of hanger76. Positioned on a pilot shaft 112 rotatably mounted in a bearing 126on the side wall of hanger 76 and adjacent the inner end of the shelf102, as viewed in FIG. 8, is a sprocket drive comprised of a drum 103having an intermediate cylindrical portion provided with sprockets 106.Mounted within the hanger 76 adjacent the outer or forward end of theshelf 102 is a stationary, cylindrical guide 105. As shown in FIG. 9,the stationary guide 105 is fixed in position against the flat verticalside wall 101b of hanger 76 by a screw 133. The guide 105 includes areduced diameter cylindrical surface 135. A loop of chain 107 ispositioned within the tubular hanger 76 with the links on one end of theloop fitted on the sprockets 106 on the cylindrical portion of drum 103and the links on the other end of the loop slidably positioned on thecylindrical surface 135 of the guide 105. It is thus seen that the chain107 encircles the shelf 102. As shown in FIG. 9, a flat projection 106aextends along the top inner wall of the hanger 76 above the shelf 102.The projection 106a provides an upper surface against which the chain107 bears. The retaining posts 80 are each held to be freely rotatableon a pin 111 insertable in an opening in the side ofa link 136 of thechain 107 (FIG. 22). The end of pin 111 may be secured to link 136 bywelding.

As shown in FIG. 8, the posts 80 attached to the portion of the chain107 spanning the upper surface of the shelf 102 are vertically orientedwith their flat bottoms resting on the top surfaces of the shelf 102,and posts 80 attached to the portion of the chain 107 spanning the lowersurface of the shelf 102 are horizontally oriented with their sidesresting on the inner lower wall of the tubular hanger 76. As describedsubsequently herein, when the actuating rod 85 is depressed into thehanger 76 a rack 115 formed on the inner end of the rod 85 engages apinion 116 on the end ofa clutch 118 which rotates the drum 103 andadvances the chain 107 in a clockwise direction about the shelf 102until the forwardmost post 80 on the end of the tubular hanger 76advances to the end of the upper surface of the shelf 102 and is lowereddown into the tubular hanger 76 and below the shelf whereat it isadvanced in the opposite direction while in a horizontal position. Thisfrees one of the cards 84 so that it can be removed from the forward endof the tubular hanger 76. The spring 86 on the rear portion of theactuating rod 85 provides for returning the rod to its withdrawnposition after it has been actuated by placing a coin in the coinmachine 88.

A set screw 119 passes through the bottom of the cylindrical portion 87of support 77 and the tubular hanger 76. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 13, theset screw 119 extends up into a slot 120a extending along the bottom ofthe rear portion of the actuating rod 85 and limits the inward travel ofthe rod during which the rack 115 on the forward portion thereof rotatesthe pinion 116 and advances the chain 107 so that the posts 80 areadvanced the proper amount to release one of the cards 84.

The hanger support vertical portion 100 and housing 138 may be formedfrom a single flat sheet of steel that is stamped to provide the shapesof the lugs 95, the opening 87a for the cylindrical portion 87, thesides of the housing 138, and the cut for the spring support 136a. Theupper corners of the vertical portion 100 are then bent back to form thelugs 95 and the lower portions of the sheet are bent horizontally andupwardly to form the sides of housing 138 and the support 136a for theend of a reloading leaf spring 137 enclosed within the housing. Thehousing 138 also functions as a support for the tubular hanger 76. Thecylindrical portion 87 of the support 77 is then attached by welding,for example, to the wall of opening 87a on the vertical portion 100.

As best shown in FIGS. 13 and 21, the actuating rod 85 is provided withflat vertical sides 109a and 109 which slidably engage the flat verticalsides 101a and 101b on the interior of the tubular hanger 76. As shownin FIG. 21, the side of the forward portion of the actuating rod is cutaway so that the remaining wall has a cross section in the form of asegment. A rectangular end opening 115a is then machined in theremaining wall and the upper surface of the opening is provided withteeth to form a rack 115. The forward end of the solid portion ofactuating rod 85 is further provided with a side relief 113 for theposts and a circular relief 114 into which the clutch 118 and drum 103can be positioned when the actuating rod is advanced into the tubularhanger 76.

A cross sectional view showing the clutch 118 and drum 103 rotatablysupported in the tubular hanger 76 is shown in FIG. 14. The drum 103which may be a molding is provided with recesses 104 on its face andnotches 131 on its periphery (FIG. 21). The intermediate cylindricalportion of the drum 103 is provided with the sprockets 106 and the endportion of the drum 103 opposite the face is formed with flat sidesurfaces 108 and provided with a central opening 110 for receiving thepilot shaft 112. The central opening 110 extends thorugh the drum 103.The clutch 118 which may also be a molding is provided with projections120 on the face thereof and formed with a central shaft 132 whichprojects from either end thereof. One end of the central shaft 132resides in the central opening 110 of the drum 103 and the opposite endof the central shaft 132 is rotatably mounted in a bearing 128 securedto the side wall of the hanger 76. Pinion 116 is secured on the end ofcentral shaft 132 of the clutch 118 and is engaged by the teeth of therack 115. Thus when the clutch 118 is rotated in a clockwise directionby the inward travel of the rack formed on the front portion of theactuating rod 85, the projections 120 on the face of the clutch 1 18mesh with the mating recesses 104 on the face of the drum 103 resultingin the chain being advanced an incremental distance along its path.

A conical spring 121 holds the face of drum 103 in engagement with theopposing face of the clutch 118. When the actuation rod 85 is returnedby the spring 86, the conical spring 121 permits the faces of the clutch118 and drum 103 to be separated as the walls of the projections 120 ofthe clutch slip relative to the walls of the recesses 104 on the drum103. As viewed in FIGS. 19 and 20, a sliding member 124 provided with agroove 125 on the side thereof fits in a longitudinal slot 117 formed onthe rear portion of the shelf 102 and thus straddles the wall of theslot. The sliding member 124 is provided with a dog 123 on the rear endthereof and with a stop 122 on the top thereof. The sliding member 124is urged in a forward direction by a spring 127, one end of which isfitted on a pin 129 held on the end of the slot 117 of the shelf 102.The other end of the spring 127 is positioned in an opening 130 in theend of the sliding member 124 opposite dog 123. Normally the dog 123 isurged to engage one of the notches 131 on the periphery of the drum 103to thereby prevent the chain 107 and thus the posts 80 from being movedin a clockwise direction. Likewise the teeth of the rack 115 normallyengaged the pinion 116 on the clutch 118 to thereby prevent the chain107 from being moved in the counterclockwise direction. The cards 84 arethus secured on the hanger 76 by the posts 80.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, in order to facilitate the movement of theposts 80 on the chain 107 about the stationary guide 105, a take upelement 139 is positioned within the front end of the tubular hanger 76.The front end portion 140 of take up element 139 has a slidingengagement within the tubular hanger 76 and the opposite end portion ofthe take up element 139 forms a caming finger 141 which provides a rampfor the posts 80. The slot 83 is provided below the tubular hanger 76 toenable the caming finger 141 to be slipped on the end of the hanger 76.The take up element 139 is urged in a forward direction by a spring 142which has one end seated in an opening 143 on the front end of the takeup element 139 and its other end seated in an opening 144 on the rearend of cap 145 which is securely attached on the end of the tubularhanger 76.

In order to load the card holding device 75 with cards 84, it isnecessary to reverse the direction of travel of the chain such that itrotates in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 8, after acard 84 has been placed on the front end of the tubular hanger 76. Toaccomplish this, which can be done by the shop keeper after hours, theactuating rod 85 is released from the lever arm 96 by removing the bolt97. The set screw 119, which is used for retaining the actuating rod 85in the tubular hanger 76 and for limiting its travel, is then removed.The actuating rod 85 is then withdrawn from the tubular hanger 76.Referring to FIG. 18, a tool (not shown) is then used for moving thesliding member 124 forward against its spring 127 by contacting the stop122 on the top thereof, thus causing the dog 123 to be disengaged from anotch 131 of the drum 103. The chain 107 which is now free to be movedin either direction is moved in the counterclockwise direction, asviewed in FIG. 8, to enable the posts 80 to be loaded one at a time withcards 84. As each post 80 approaches the rotating drum 103, its movementis synchronized so that the bottom of the post rests on one of the flatside surfaces 108 on the end portion of the drum 103. As the postscontinue to rotate counter clockwise about the drum 103, the leaf spring137 enclosed in the housing 138 below the tubular hanger 76 provides forlifting and guiding the posts 80 into their horizontal positions on thebottom of the hanger 76 after they once leave the flat side surfaces 108of the drum 103. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 17, as the posts 80 areadvanced by the chain 107 about the stationary guide 105 the camingfinger 141 of the take up element 139 functions to guide the posts 80 oftheir vertical position on the top of the shelf 102.

While in order to comply with the statute the invention has beendescribed in language more or less specific as to structural features,it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specificfeatures shown but that the means and construction herein disclosedcomprise a preferred form of putting the invention into effect and theinvention is therefore claimed in any of its forms or modificationswithin the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A pilfer-proof holding device for merchandise cards comprising:

a horizontal tubular hanger on which merchandise cards are hung by anopening provided on each of the cards for that purpose;

said tubular hanger having an opening near the front end thereof;

a support for said tubular hanger located on the back end thereof;

an actuating rod slidably movable within said tubular hanger, saidactuating rod having a slot on the front end thereof and having its rearportion extending from the back of said support;

a retaining post pivotally carried in the slot on said actuating rod andextending through the opening on said hanger;

a spring on the rear portion of said actuating rod for normally holdingit in a withdrawn position relative to said tubular hanger;

said spring on said actuating rod operating to apply an axially directedforce on said retaining post to hold it in an outward vertical positionin which it is fitted up against the rear of said opening on said hangerand the inner wall of said hanger opposite said opening to therebyprovide a barrier to removal of said cards off the front end of saidhanger; and

depressible means accessible from the rear end of said actuating rod andoperable when manually depressed to advance said rod into said tubularhanger against the action of said spring and thereby force saidretaining post upon contacting the front of said opening to be pivotedinwardly to a position substantially aligned with said hanger;

whereby said merchandise cards can be freely re moved off the front endof said hanger while said depressible means is being manually depressed.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said retaining postwhen in its vertical position includes a stem having an extendedvertical side facing the cards being retained on the hanger;

a shorter vertical side opposite said extended side;

an inner horizontal side resting on the inner wall of said hanger; and

an outer inclined transverse stop disposed at an angle sloping forwardlyand inwardly from said extended vertical side toward said shortervertical side;

whereby when said actuating rod is advanced by said depressible meansinto said tubular hanger said transverse stop is pivoted inwardly so asto be substantially aligned with the outer surface of said tubularhanger.

3. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said depressiblemeans includes:

a pusher plate; and

brackets for pivotally supporting said pusher plate;

whereby said pusher plate is moved to an outer position when saidactuating rod is held in its with drawn position by said spring; and

whereby manual depressing of said pusher plate advances said actuatingrod into said tubular hanger.

whereby said pusher plate can be moved to an inner position on saidbracket to thereby depress said actuating rod into said tubular hangeragainst the action of said spring and permit the removal of said cardsoff the front end of the hanger while the pusher plate is being held inits inner position.

1. A pilfer-proof holding device for merchandise cards comprising: ahorizontal tubular hanger on which merchandise cards are hung by anopening provided on each of the cards for that purpose; said tubularhanger having an opening near the front end thereof; a support for saidtubular hanger located on the back end thereof; an actuating rodslidably movable within said tubular hanger, said actuating rod having aslot on the front end thereof and having its rear portion extending fromthe back of said support; a retaining post pivotally carried in the sloton said actuating rod and extending through the opening on said hanger;a spring on the rear portion of said actuating rod for normally holdingit in a withdrawn position relative to said tubular hanger; said springon said actuating rod operating to apply an axially directed force onsaid retaining post to hold it in an outward vertical position in whichit is fitted up against the rear of said opening on said hanger and theinner wall of said hanger opposite said opening to thereby provide abarrier to removal of said cards off the front end of said hanger; anddepressible means accessible from the rear end of said actuating rod andoperable when manually depressed to advance said rod into said tubularhanger against the action of said spring and thereby force saidretaining post upon contacting the front of said opening to be pivotedinwardly to a position substantially aligned with said hanger; wherebysaid merchandise cards can be freely removed off the front end of saidhanger while said depressible means is being manually depressed.
 2. Theinvention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said retaining post when inits vertical position includes a stem having an extended vertical sidefacing the cards being retained on the hanger; a shorter vertical sideopposite said extended side; an inner horizontal side resting on theinner wall of said hanger; and an outer inclined transverse stopdisposed at an angle sloping forwardly and inwardly from said extendedvertical side toward said shorter vertical side; whereby when saidactuating rod is advanced by said depressible means into said tubularhanger said transverse stop is pivoted inwardly so as to besubstantially aligned with the outer surface of said tubular hanger. 3.The invention in accordance With claim 1 wherein said depressible meansincludes: a pusher plate; and brackets for pivotally supporting saidpusher plate; whereby said pusher plate is moved to an outer positionwhen said actuating rod is held in its withdrawn position by saidspring; and whereby manual depressing of said pusher plate advances saidactuating rod into said tubular hanger.
 4. The invention in accordancewith claim 1 including: a lock having an arm rotatable in front of saidpusher plate for holding it in its outer position when said lock is inits locked condition; said lock providing for rotating its arm away fromthe front of said pusher plate when in an unlocked condition; wherebysaid pusher plate can be moved to an inner position on said bracket tothereby depress said actuating rod into said tubular hanger against theaction of said spring and permit the removal of said cards off the frontend of the hanger while the pusher plate is being held in its innerposition.